Only 27 players have reached this mark in NFL history. Gore will be the 28th if he makes it happen, or possibly the 29th, depending on how fast Adrian Peterson reaches that mark.

This begs the question: Does Frank Gore belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Let’s take a look at Gore’s resume: The former third-round pick has played nine seasons, all with the 49ers, amassing 9,457 total yards. He’s averaged 4.6 yards a carry over that time span, with 58 rushing touchdowns and 10 receiving TDs. All very impressive numbers.

The downside? Gore has never been an MVP, and has never had a 2,000-yard season. He’s never had more than ten rushing TDs in a season, never had more than 13 total TDs in a season.

And that downside will likely be too much for Gore to overcome. He’s been remarkably consistent throughout his career, but never had one spotlight season where he grabbed the nation’s attention.

For better or worse, football isn’t like baseball — reaching a milestone like 3,000 hits in baseball doesn’t equate to rushing for 10,000 career yards. It just doesn’t guarantee you entrance into the Hall of Fame. Of the 27 rushers to have gained over 10,000 yards, only 13 are in the Hall of Fame.

Some of the 14 who have reached the milestone may make the Hall of Fame when they are eligible, like LaDanian Tomlinson and Edgerrin James, but most of them will never be inducted.

Gore belongs in this second group — guys who amassed solid, consistent, long careers of steady production. All of them were good but never otherworldly. (Except for Ricky Williams, who was the league’s best rusher for a season or two, but he won’t make it for other reasons.)

Baseball is a game of numbers. If you get 3,000 hits, you’re probably going to go in the Hall of Fame, unless you cheated like Pete Rose or if your name is Craig Biggio. Football is a different beast, especially when it comes to Hall of Fame mortality. It’s more of a gut feeling, and sadly, Frank Gore, for how consistently strong he’s been, doesn’t pass that test.